In my previous post, we talked about some of the challenges you might face if you don't have an accompanist, and little or no piano or solfege skills. In this post, we will go over some strategies to keep you and your students moving forward, while you plan for the future.
How to use recordings:
Singing with recordings is not ideal, but in some situations it may be your only viable option. Here are a few ways to use recordings effectively in your rehearsals:
If you have some piano skills you can play a part or two along with the recording, and leave the other sections on their own, building independence little by little.
Having a backing track allows me to make part recordings so students can practice independently in sectionals, or for use with a substitute (music subs are virtually non-existent in my area, so they can at least keep working on something).
If you also direct show choir, recordings are a must. (Trust me, I've tried to accompany, detect errors musically, teach and clean choreography- all from behind the piano. Simultaneously. It's not easy!)
Sometimes you find a fabulous piece that is perfect for your kids and they are going to love it, but... it has no rehearsal recording available. 4 sharps or more and my brain is toast! While I had no one local to help me, I was able to find a college accompanist who could make me a quality recording to use for the performance. These days, people don't need to be close to be helpful!
How to create recordings:
In order to make my part recordings, I've used both Garage Band and Soundtrap. I prefer Garage Band, but switched to Soundtrap when I switched schools and no longer had access to Apple products.
Soundtrap is a cloud based service and allows you to create a free account. I bought a USB mic to record auditions and part recordings. Once you are familiar with the program, its pretty slick.
If your district uses an LMS (mine uses Canvas) you can post practice recordings, making it possible for students to always have access. It also comes in really handy with subs, because they can just click down the list and rehearse whatever I've left for them.
How to hone your skills:
There is no easy work-around for not having piano skills. You have to build them and it takes time. I am so much better than when I first started teaching, so don't give up!
Start out playing 2 parts at a time. It's better to help your singers be accurate than to try too much too soon and make so many mistakes they struggle to know what's correct.
Try playing 2 parts and singing a third.
Have sections take turns being the part that is left out so they have to hold it on their own.
If something is REALLY tricky and they need the extra support, I record myself playing 2 parts. Then during rehearsal, I play the recording and play the parts that I haven't recorded, so it's all happening at the same time without my fingers and brain having to keep up.
Why not just skip all this and go straight to learning everything with solfege?
These strategies are not a substitute for learning to sight-sing using solfege, but if your students (and you!) are starting from square one, they can help you get to that fall concert. Your school and community will obviously expect you to have an end product to show for the time you've spent.
Learning skills like these take time, and you might need a 'band-aid' to get to that end product while your students are skill building. As everyone gets more comfortable, you can start removing supports and making students sing more independently.
Remember:
Neither you nor your students can get to proficiency without time and practice. You are no less a good teacher because you were never taught something, or because your students weren't taught something. You can both start at the beginning and still get to that goal of proficiency, you just might have to start in a different place than others did. You can do it!
Up Next
In my next post, I'll share how I got the ball rolling teaching solfege to my choir students, when they had never learned it and I had never taught it!
If you've been in this situation, what strategies did you come up with to help bridge the gap from students needing to hear their part, to sight singing independently? Comment below so we can all learn together!
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